My Life As a Merridew
by Evangeline-Kingsley
Summary: "Looking down at my left hand, I smiled as my ring gleamed in the candlelight. Fixing my gaze to Jack, who was beaming elatedly, I threw my arms around him happily. Small tears made their way down my face as I confirmed reality: I was getting married."
1. Painting

**A/N: Hello again! This is the third (and final) story of Jack and Angel. Sorry this took me so long to write, but school and cheerleading have been killing me lately! Yes, I'm aware that this is a short chapter, but I promise they will get much longer! Anyways, this story pretty much sums up the rest of their lives. I hope you enjoy it!**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Flies or any of the lyrics/poems I use. I only own Angel and anyone else not from the book.  
><em>

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><p><em>Reminiscing the times when we have cared<em>  
><em>On those blissful moments that we have shared<em>  
><em>A million times though, we might have quarreled<em>  
><em>Our love has stayed as always, still as real<em> 

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><p>Jack and I walked hand in hand into our new flat. Ever since we had finished our schooling, we had spent hours and hours of the night sitting in Molly's kitchen searching through newspapers for flats with a reasonable price. Now that we had finally found one, we were moving all of our things into it. Once we were settled in, Jack and I climbed into his black truck and headed into town to find a paint store.<p>

Once we got there, we approached the display of colours and pondered on which ones we should get. I picked up a can of light grey.

"I want something like this for the bedroom. Something light, but not quite white."

Jack nodded thoughtfully. "You pick what you want. I'm a guy. I don't do decorating."

I laughed and put the paint in our cart. After careful decision, I decided on light grey for our room, baby blue for the guest room, light brown for the living room, lavender for the bathroom, and off-white for the kitchen. Satisfied with the colours I had chosen, I happily pushed the cart over to Jack to show him my selections. Jack nodded, claiming he didn't care about decorating, and went to go pay for them.

When we got back to our flat, I set out to work on painting. Jack took the living room and I took the bedroom. I dipped my brush into the thick paint and smeared grey all over the wall. We spent a good chunk of the day painting, with a few breaks in between. After I finished, I picked up the can of lavender paint and hauled it into the bathroom. Getting the small bathroom done in no time, I went to check Jack's progress. He was almost finished with the living room, as he carefully painted with a light brown colour. When he finally did finish, we decided to put off painting the kitchen and spare bedroom for another day. We both changed out of our paint stained clothes and flopped onto the couch. Jack picked up the phone and began dialing.

"Does Chinese food sound alright to you?" he asked.

As if on cue, my stomach growled loudly. "I think that answers your question," I laughed. Jack chuckled and lifted the phone to his ear, placing our order. When he hung up, his arm found its way around my neck.

"Can you believe it?" he asked looking around the flat. "We finally have a place to ourselves."

I smiled and cuddled against him. "I know. Much better than my boarding school room." I sighed remembering school. It reminded me of how much I missed Alice. I wondered how the old counselor was doing. True to my word on graduation, I still wrote to her. To recieve a letter back from the woman took a long time however. I also kept in touch with Ronnie since we left as well. We would occasionally write to each other and talk on the phone, promising each other lunch dates that were yet to happen. All I wanted to do at the moment was finish moving in and decorating the flat.

Jack drug me back into reality when I felt his warm lips on mine. I sighed as I took in his familar minty scent. Oh how I loved the smell of him. When his lips retracted, he looked around the room and groaned.

"We still have so much more work ahead of us," he complained.

I nodded. "It'll be worth it once it's finished." I layed across his lap and stared at the ceiling, making a mental check list of things that still needed to be done. We both jumped when we heard a sharp knock at the door. Getting up from Jack's lap, I shifted to the other part of the couch while he answered the door. He returned with our food, handing me mine. Sitting next to me, we both scarfed our food down hungrily.

"You know," I started, swallowing a noodle. "I could get used to this. Just me, you, a flat to ourselves, and Chinese food!" I stopped. It was true. No more having to sneak around in the school or Molly's house. We finally had a place to ourselves. It felt almost as if we were a married couple. _Married._ I smiled at the thought. _Evangeline Merridew._ It had a nice ring to it. I bit my lip and looked at Jack as his hand took mine.

"I like it too," he said. He squeezed my hand and rose up from the couch. Picking up a brush, he resumed painting. I set my empty takeout box down and grabbed a can of blue paint and headed towards the guest room. Covering the floor with canvas tarps , I opened the paint and dipped my brush in. As I painted, my thoughts ran wild. _What was the purpose of this room going to be? No one would_ _ever stay with us,_ _so_ _what would this room be?_ I bit my lip. _The baby's room._ I lifted my brush down from the wall and paused. Shaking my head, I let out a long sigh. I mentally scolded myself for getting way too ahead of myself. How could I even think about a baby at a time like this? I dipped my brush back into the paint and contiued painting, forgetting all my previous thoughts. After awhile, I glanced at the clock and saw it was nearly midnight. Deciding to give up for the night, I rinsed my paintbrush off and closed the paint lids.

After taking a quick shower and getting ready for bed, I walked into the room and found Jack asleep. My mouth fell open. _How long had he been out for?_ Going into the living room, I noticed its paint job wasn't even finished. _He was almost finished before we even started dinner! How_ _could he not finish it out before going to bed? I did more work than him anyways._ Huffing, I marched back up to the bedroom and threw back the covers. I slid in next to Jack and instantly fell asleep.

The next morning when I woke up, Jack was still asleep next to me. Rolling my eyes, I trudged downstairs and began making scrambled eggs. After I ate, I went straight back to the guest room and resumed painting. Finishing in a few hours, I switched out paints and headed to the kitchen. I grabbed the off-white paint and began to hastily slop it onto the walls, wondering what Jack was doing. After another hour of painting, my arm began to hurt. Setting the brush down, I crossed into the living room and fell onto the couch exhausted. I was too tired to even notice that Jack was finishing up his painting. Noticing my presence, he turned around.

"What's wrong?" he asked. He turned back to the wall so he could quickly finish.

"Arm's hurting," I called back. "You know, from actually doing working and painting!" I didn't realize how much venom came from my voice until it already came out. Jack stopped painting in mid stroke. He turned back around to face me, his eyebrows furrowed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he shot. _Oh no. Here we go._ It had been awhile since me and Jack had a fight, and I hoped and prayed it wouldn't turn into anything bad. Usually it ended with one of us cuddling into the other and apologizing.

"Nothing," I said calmly, trying not to make a big deal out of anything. "It's just I've painted every single room in the flat, and you haven't even finished your first room yet."

Jack's light blue eyes narrowed. "This room is bigger than all the other rooms though," he shot back.

I rolled my eyes. Trying to keep my cool, I took a deep breath. "Yes, but I have already painted three rooms. I would have finished my fourth, but my arm started cramping because that's what happens when you actually work hard on something." As soon as those words passed my lips, my hand shot up and covered my mouth. _That did it._

"I work too!" With that, Jack threw his paint brush down and stormed out of the room.

"Jack!" I went to follow him, but stopped myself. _Maybe I should just leave him alone for his temper to fade._ I sat back down on the couch and brought my knees up, burying my face in them. I knew shouldn't have said anything. Jack can get set off so easily. Being around Jack had made me a stronger woman over the years. I had changed into a complete different person from the time span of age 16 to 19. When we had first landed on the island, I had never dreamed of sticking up for myself or fighting. I was always the shy, weak girl. Our arguement had also sparked another faint memory of the island. It reminded me of him and Ralph arguing over building shelters and hunting. I shook my head and reminded myself that if I wanted the sweet and loving Jack I was used to, I wasn't to do anything to send him off into a bipolar frenzy. Sighing, I heaved myself off the couch and made my way into our bedroom. I grabbed the doorknob and lazily twisted. To my surprise, I found it locked. I lightly tapped the door.

"Jack? Please open the door."

I heard the door unlock and waited for him to open the door. When he didn't, my hand reached out for the knob again and twisted. The door slowly opened and I walked into the room. I found Jack sitting on the bed staring into space. I sat down next to him and placed a light kiss on his cheek.

"Jack I'm sor-"

Jack cut me off with a kiss. Surprised, I kissed back with no idea what was going through his mind. When the kiss ended, Jack looked at me tenderly. "No, I'm sorry. I over reacted. It won't happen again."

He pulled me into a long hug. A forced smile crawled upon my lips. I knew, even though he claimed otherwise, that this was the first of many to come.


	2. A Phone Call

**A/N: I know I know. I never update. I'm sorry! Please forgive me! I'll try to do a better job of keeping up with this story(:**

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><p><em>"You seldom listen to me, and when you do, you don't hear. When you do hear, you hear wrong. Even when you hear right, you change it so fast that it's never the same."<em>

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><p>As time went by, Jack and I had completely settled in to our new flat. The walls were completely painted and the rooms were furnished. I happily cooked a ham as Jack sat in the living room reading the paper. I hummed to myself as I worked, gliding around the kitchen. I was in a chipper mood today, although I wasn't really sure why. I grabbed the oven mitt laying on the counter and slid it over my small hand. Reaching for the stove, I pulled it open and took out the freshly cooked ham. I smiled proudly as I took a big wiff of the scent. I was finally past my stage of not being able to eat pig. It took a while to get over, but I was finally okay with it. I knew that Jack enjoyed meat too much anyways, so not ever fixing it would torture the poor man. As I was taking out the dinner plates from the cupboard, the phone rang. Jumping at the sudden noise, I quickly sat the plates down and picked the phone up from the kitchen wall.<p>

"Hello?" I spoke into the receiver.

"Hello, Angel!" A familar, warm voice said back. I smiled._ Ralph._ I hadn't heard from him in awhile. I peeked my head into the living room to see if Jack was listening. Seeing he was still content with his paper, I turned my attention back to Ralph.

"How've you been?" I asked. I hadn't heard from him since the last letter I had sent, which had been a little while. I had written my phone number down because, frankly, I thought it'd be a lot eaiser than waiting to receive a letter.

"I've been pretty good, I suppose. Keeping myself busy. How about you?"

"The same. I'm just glad I'm finally finished moving in. That was a nightmare!" It was true. I never knew moving could be so stressful. I switched the phone to my other ear and began twisting the cord around my finger.

"I could imagine!" Ralph laughed. "It wasn't pleasant for me either. I, however, didn't have the chore of putting up with Jack and his stubborness though."

I cringed. I hated when Ralph and Jack talked bad about each other. Ralph was my closest friend and Jack was my boyfriend. I couldn't find myself to say anything bad back. Avoiding the subject, I laughed and played it off cooly.

"It's not that bad. Can I call you back later? We're about to have dinner."

"Of course." Ralph said. We exchanged our goodbyes before I hung up the phone relieved. I didn't want to listen to Ralph talk about Jack. Shaking my head, I prepared tea and set the ham on the middle of the table.

"Jack!" I yelled. "Dinner's ready!"

Jack came into the room and wrapped me in his arms. Kissing my cheek, he turned to the table to see what I had prepared.

"Ham!" he cried excitedly. "My favorite!"

I watched as he hurried to the table to begin eating. I shook my head and chuckled to myself.

"You're like a little kid," I grinned. I pulled back my chair and causally sat down. "I've never seen someone get so excited over food."

Swallowing a big chunck of meat, Jack smiled. "You still love me though!"

"I know." I cut myself a decent sized amount of meat and dropped it onto my plate. Although I could now bring myself to eat pork, it still reminded me of the island too much. I absently chewed my food and sat quietly.

When dinner was over, I washed the dishes and put them back up in the cupboard. I jumped when I heard the phone ring again. From the other room, I heard Jack answer. Curiosity burning inside of me, I quickly finished the dishes and stumbled into the living room. I found Jack on the couch with the phone pressed to his ear. Smiling slightly, I took a seat next to him. He gave me a quick glance of acknowledgment then turned his attention back to the phone, his face a solemn mask.

"Who is it?" I whispered. I really didn't like that look on his face. Jack merely shook his head, avoiding eye contact with me.

"Nice talking to you again too," Jack said into the receiver. "Take care. Goodbye." He set the phone down with and blank look on his face and said nothing more.

"Jack, what's wrong? Who was that?" I urged. I took his cold hand into my warm one and held it tight. Jack's pale blue eyes bore into me and a name I never thought I'd hear again slipped out of his lips.

"Roger."

I felt my face pale. Not Roger. Anyone but him. "What did he want?" I asked, my voice high and weak.

Jack bit his lip. "He looked me up and found my number. He spent some time in a juvenile delinquency in his younger years. Now he wants to get back in contact with me."

I gulped. "What did you tell him?"

Jack sighed. "I told him I'd go get a drink or something with him. He doesn't live too far away, actually."

I stared at Jack in awe. He was seriously going to go have a drink with the sociopath who had killed Piggy and my brother some four years ago. I shook my head at him.

"You're not considering this, are you?" I asked him, my voice becoming threatning.

"I don't see why not," Jack said, his voice becoming just as grave. "I haven't seen him since I was seventeen."

I took a deep breath. My frustration was getting the best of me. "What if he hasn't changed? What if he's the same sociopath that we knew before?"

"Well I'll never know if I don't go now, will I?"

He made a good point, yet I still didn't want him going. I didn't want Roger to corrupt my Jack. The new, soft Jack that I had come to fall in love with. Not the power hungry savage from before. I had a feeling, a burning dread, in the pit of my stomach that the inner savage in him still lay deep within. I watched Jack as he threw on his jacket and grabbed the car keys from the table.

"I'll be back in no time, okay? You'll see that he's not as bad before. I'll be home around 9 o'clock." He kissed my cheek and flung the door open.

"Okay. I love you," I called back.

I heard a muffled reply as the door swung closed, leaving me home alone. With a deep sigh, I sulked to the bedroom to change into my silky nightgown. Quickly throwing it on, I went back to the living room and turned on the tv. I stared blankly at the screen, my mind off someplace else. Jack being with Roger again worried me to no extent. I didn't want Jack to become like Roger again. Bitting my lip, I reached for the phone. Quickly dialing, I pressed the receiver firmly to my ear.

"Hello?" I heard. I smiled. I knew Ralph would help me calm down.

"Hey," I said softly, my voice unsteady.

"Angel?" He asked. "You sound nervous about something."

My hands nervously tangled the phone cord. "Roger," I choked out. "Jack is at the bar with Roger right now."

The other end of the phone fell silent. Finally, after an uneasy pause, Ralph spoke.

"How did he find you guys?"

"I don't know," I admitted. "My best guess would be the phone book."

Ralph paused again. "This isn't good. There isn't much we can do right now though. Call me tomorrow and tell me everything Jack tells you, okay?"

I nodded. "Okay. Will do."

"We'll figure something out."

Even though I couldn't see him, I dectected a smile with the last statement. I had never realized how much I had missed Ralph until now. He was my best friend and I hadn't seen him since school. I said my goodbyes to him and promised to call again tomorrow with the details. Setting the phone down, I yawned loudly and fell back onto the couch. I rubbed my eyes and moaned. Was I seriously this tired already? Being almost twenty, I felt as if I were in my forties right now. My energy was completely drained, like I had just run a marathon. I wearily rose from the couch and stumbled into the bedroom. The clock of the nightstand read 7:35 in red block letters as I squinted at it. Maybe it was the stress that was wearing me down. Hoping sleep would help, I crawled into the big, empty bed and raised the covers up to my neck. Turning the lamp off, I stared off into the darkness, waiting for sleep to consume me.

_I was held against a tree by vines as I watched Jack and Roger sharpen their spears at both ends. They exchanged malicious smiles as Jack ran a finger over the sharp point. Jack approached me as I struggled to free myself. The last thing I saw were his malice filled eyes. Pure savage shone in them as he raised his spear over his head and came down hard._

I jolted awake in a panic as I awoke from my nightmare. I tried to slow my heavy breathing as I looked around the dark room, confirming I was no longer asleep. Feeling beads of sweat dripping across my clammy forehead, I raised my shaky hand to wipe it away. When my hand came back down onto the bed, I noticed I was still the only one in it. My tired eyes glanced to the clock. I gasped when I saw it was nearly midnight. _Where the hell was Jack? He was supposed to be home three hours ago!_ I sleepily sat up in bed and stared blankly into the darkness, worry building up inside me. No sooner than I had sat up, I heard the front door slam. Laying back down, I patiently waited for Jack to come to bed. I heard his heavy footsteps before I saw his tall silhouette appear in the doorway. He crawled into bed next to me without saying a single word. I turned the lamp back on and sat up.

"You wanna tell me why you're three hours late, Jack?" I asked, evident anger in my voice.

His bloodshot eyes met mine. "Roger's a really cool guy," he slurred. "We went back to his house for awhile and caught up." Jack's face fell into the pillow and his body relaxed against the bed.

"And you didn't even bother to call me? You know how worried I've been? You said 9 o'clock, Jack!" I swallowed and tried to keep my cool, but I wasn't very successful. I waited for Jack to answer me, but he never did. Tilting my face next to his on the pillow, I found he was fast asleep. Groaning, I clicked off the lamp and lay back next to him. I knew Roger would be a bad influence on him. I also knew that I had a bone to pick with Jack first thing in the morning when he was awake and sober.


	3. A Careful Plan

**A/N: I'm sooooo sorry I kept you guys waiting this long! But trust me... this chapter (hopefully) is definitely worth the wait! :)**

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><p><em>I wanna spend the rest of my life<em>  
><em>With you by my side<em>  
><em>Forever and ever<em>  
><em>Every little thing that you do<em>  
><em>Baby, I'm amazed by you<em>

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><p>Sunlight streaming in from the windows greeted my eyes as I awoke from my sleep. Beside me, Jack lay sprawled out across the bed. Still angry with him, I elbowed him in the side, causing him to jolt awake.<p>

"What was that for?" he asked irritably, rubbing where I had struck. His eyes were still slightly bloodshot from last night.

I looked at him disgustedly and crossed my arms, making it obvious I wasn't happy with him.

"You never explained why you didn't call me to tell me you were going to be late last night." I raised my eyebrow and waited for a response.

"Roger distracted me. I lost track of time. I'm sorry babe." He outstretched his arms to me and offered a hug, but I declined and moved out of the room to the kitchen. Muttering profanity under my breath, I pulled a carton of eggs from the refrigerator and started on breakfast. Jack followed me out and sat down at the table, watching me prepare food. I looked at him from over my shoulder then turned away quickly. I just wasn't in the mood today.

After a short and silent breakfast, I rose from the table and quickly rinsed off my plate. I crossed over into the bedroom, leaving Jack alone at the table. Not even bothering to turn on the light, I crawled back into bed and stared up at the ceiling. Maybe I was overreacting. Maybe Roger wasn't too bad after all. I then slapped myself back into reality. He single-handedly killed Piggy! How could one change in such a short period of time? Roger was nothing but trouble and the last thing I needed was for him to turn Jack back to the harsh ways of savagery. I jumped suddenly at the sound of footsteps approaching the door. Jack peeked into the doorway, a nervous look upon his face.

"Do you mind if I come in?"

Great. Now he's asking permission to come into our room. I felt like a cruel dictator. I knew, however, what was best for our relationship. Mutely, I nodded and watched him cross over to the bed. He took me into his arms and bore his ice coloured eyes into mine.

"You know I'm sorry for not calling, right?" He said softly. He ran a hand through his messy, red hair.

I nodded in response. "For the sake of what little sanity I have left, please don't do it again."

Jack's strong arms wrapped around my body for a tight hug. I smiled into him knowing this was all the answer I needed.

Later that day, keeping my promise, I called Ralph. After a forty five minute conversation of last night's occurences, I hung up with a smile on my face. He always knew what to say to cheer me up. Walking down the hallway to the bedroom, my gaze fixed upon the guest room. Ever since we moved in, I hadn't really paid that much attention to it. It was a plain, empty room that sat purposeless. Deciding quickly, I entered the room and looked around, trying to think of a cause for the room. No matter how hard I tried, one word kept popping into my mind: baby.

I settled into bed that night with Jack by my side. It was a Sunday night and I knew he had to work tomorrow, which ensured he wouldn't be with Roger. Giving him a good night kiss, I clicked off the lamp and fell asleep in his arms."

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><p>Jack was in the construction business, which gave me a lot of time home alone. He was normally gone from about 6:00am to 6:00pm. When I woke up, it was only 8:34. Yawning and stretching, I sulked to the bathroom to take a fast shower. Finishing in record time, I wrapped a lavender towl around myself and dried my hair with another. Walking to my closet, I pulled out a plain black long sleeved shirt and a pair of jeans. I quickly threw them on and began to run a comb through my damp, brown curls. When I finished, I went to the living room and flipped on the tv. This was going to be a long day I thought to myself.<p>

After hours of mindlessly watching television, I rose from the couch and sulked to the window. I gazed at the outside world and my mind began to race. I was still worried about Jack. Maybe I was overreacting. Then again, he had me worried sick. I really felt uncomfortable with Roger back. I trusted Jack though and knew Roger's bad influence wouldn't rub off on him. I shook my head, letting this one slide for now and decided to forget it ever happened.

When Jack came home that night, I hurried to the door to greet him. I placed a quick kiss on his cheek. "How was your day?"

He smiled at me as he hung his jacket up. "It was fine. How was yours?"

I shrugged indifferently. "Boring I guess."

Jack smirked. "I promise you it won't be boring tomorrow." he said mysteriously.

I raised an eyebrow. "Why's that?"

Jack's smirk remained. "Tomorrow my mother is going to come get you. You two are going to spend the day shopping together."

I nodded. At least it was better than sulking around the house. "That sounds fun," I smiled. Dismissing myself, I disappeared into the kitchen to start dinner.

That night, as I lay in bed, I couldn't find myself to sleep. I blankly stared at the ceiling of our bedroom, my mind in many different places. For some reason, I was thinking of Ralph, Simon, and the island. In an odd sort of way, I almost missed it. Not the whole experience of course, but before the chaos and savagery had hit. I missed seeing Piggy, Ralph, all of the littluns, and my brother. Only seeing them in my dreams wasn't enough. I longed for a chance to say goodbye to everyone, but of course, it could never happen. "I love you, Simon," was the last thing I muttered before I fell into a deep sleep.

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><p>I was gently shook into consciousness the next morning by a set of danity hands. My eyes slowly opened and through blurred vision, I saw Molly standing over my bed. <em>How the hell did she get in here?<em>

"Wake up, dear," her soft and sweet voice echoed. "It's time to go shopping."

My head rolled to the side to glance at the clock. It was 7:00 in the morning! _Why were we going shopping so early?_ Rubbing the sleepiness from my eyes, I yawned loudly and sat up in bed.

"Why are we going so early, Molly?" I asked curiously.

Molly laughed. "You didn't know that us Merridews are early risers? This isn't early at all! Now come on, Angel. Go get dressed and I'll meet you in the living room."

"Alright," I found myself mumbling. I wasn't aware that Jack and his family were used to getting up this early. In fact, Jack usually slept longer than I did. I raised my index finger to my mouth and absently chewed on my nail. Something seemed suspicious. Nevertheless, I stumbled out of bed and threw on the first thing I found out of my closet. Like a zombie, I stalked through the flat and found my way to where Molly was standing. Looking surprised, she giggled to herself.

"You're not a morning person, are you, dear?"

I shook my head, jealous of her cheeriness. I don't think I'd ever seen her in a foul mood before. "Can't say that I am," I said with a hint of fake laughter in my voice.

Molly smiled warmly and opened up the door for me. "Well we better get going!" She shut the door behind us and locked the door with her key. My head cocked to the side. _When did she get a spare key to our apartment?_ Deciding to not to ask, I forced the thought away. Instead, I quitely got in the car with her, not prepared for the long day ahead of me.

"Oh, how about this one?" Molly squealed. I groaned loudly. Molly had been making me try on dresses all day.

"What is the point of all this?" I said through my teeth, trying hard to hide my irritation.

"I just thought I'd' buy you something nice to wear for tonight."

Now I was completely lost. "What's tonight?" I asked. _I knew there was something they were hiding from me!_

Molly merely smiled. "You'll find out later. Now try this one."

"Molly you don't need to buy-"

"Yes, I do. I expect to see this once you try it on," she said, cutting off my arguments.

Groaning, I accepted the dress she handed me and went back into the dressing room for the millionth time today. I slid the dress on over my head and adjusted it. It was a simple, long evening dress that was a deep shade of red. It was strapless and fit me perfectly. My attitude quickly changing, I smoothed out the dress and looked at myself in the mirror, smiling. I rather liked this one. Opening the dressing room door, I modeled it for Molly.

"What do you think?" I asked.

Molly put her hand to her mouth. "That's the one!" she cried. She raced forward to hug me. "You look so beautiful, Angel."

Caught off guard, I momentarily froze up. I wish I had her enthusiam. I finally hugged back and then went to go change into my regular clothes.

After a long day of shopping, we went back to Molly's house. Jack's siblings, Brendan and Catherine, raced to greet me. After being attacked by the two with hugs, Molly urged me to go put on my new dress. Confused, I went downstairs to Jack's old room to go change. When I came out, the three Merridews beamed at me.

"You look gorgeous," Catherine breathed.

I thanked her and flashed her a warm smile. She grabbed my hand and led me upstairs.

"Catherine what are you-?"

"Just trust me," she replied. I was dragged to the bathroom and forced to take a seat in a vanity chair. Catherine took out an assortment of makeup and plugged in a curling iron.

"What's all this for?" I asked.

"Well.. uhh.." Catherine stuttered. "You'll see later."

She began to brush out the waves in my hair and turned them into curls with her iron. When she finished with my hair, she moved on to makeup. After what seemed like an eternity, she stepped back to admire her masterpiece.

"What do you think?"

I gazed into a mirror and was surprised to see what stared back at me. My hair consisted of long, carefully sculpted curls and my now lavender eyelids brought out the green colour in my hazel eyes.

"Catherine," I breathed. "You did an amazing job." _For a fifteen year old, she sure knew what she was doing!_ We headed back downstairs together and Molly gasped when she saw me.

"Oh look how precious you look!" she exclaimed. "Let me go get my camera!"

I stood in the middle of the room, puzzled, and tried to figure out what was going on. Molly quickly returned and snapped a few pictures.

"Well," she started, "I suppose it's time to get you back home. It's already 5 o'clock."

I nodded and said my goodbyes to the kids. Walking outside, I climbed into the car and Molly drove me home. Once we got there, I said goodbye to the lively red head and began to walk to my flat. Surprisingly, I found the door unlocked and headed inside the dark place. My mouth dropped once I saw what I was greeted by. The entire flat was covered with dimly lit candles and rose petals. I stood in place, stunned by what I was seeing. It was then I noticed a trail of little notes leading in a certain direction. Bending down, I picked up the first one. It read,_ Your smile is breathtaking_ in Jack's handwritting. Smiling to myself, I reached for the second note. It read, _You are_ _the most beautiful girl I've ever seen._ I followed the trail and twenty romantic notes later, I found myself in the bedroom with one note remaining. Picking it up off the bed and sitting down, I gazed at it and read, _I want to spend the rest of my life with you. _My breath caught in my throat. I couldn't tell if this was reality or not. I sharply pinched myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming. The sharp pain told me that this was, indeed, happening for real. Just then, I saw Jack appear in the doorway. I felt my heart racing as he approached me. I shakily stood up from the bed. I tried to talk, but I found myself speachless.

"What is all of this?" I managed to squeak out.

Jack didn't say anything. He simply stared at me from his place in the doorway. Finally, he came forward and stood in front of me. Placing a long kiss on my lips, he tucked a curl behind my ear and gazed into my eyes. I stared back at him, his icy blue eyes illuminated by the candle light, and sighed dreamily. This was too good to be true. What happened next, I was not ready for. All the time in the world couldn't have prepared me for the joy of what was happening next. Time seemed to stand still as Jack slowly dropped down to one knee. His hand reached inside his jacket pocket and he pulled out a small box. Jack opened the box and I was presented by a gleaming diamond ring.

"Evangeline Marie Kingsley, will you marry me?"

Those words echoed through my head. This was really happening! I couldn't believe it! I smiled, knowing there was only one answer I could possibly say.

"Oh, Jack!" I cried. "Yes!"

Jack grinned and jumped up to kiss me. Love evident in his eyes, he placed the ring around my finger. Looking down at my left hand, I smiled as my ring gleamed in the candlelight. Fixing my gaze to Jack, who was beaming elatedly, I threw my arms around him happily. Small tears made their way down my face as I confirmed reality: I was getting married.


	4. Dress Shopping

**A/N: Hey! I'm so sorry I took this long to update. I haven't been too frequent on this one. :( Anyways, this chapter is kind of rushed and short because I wanted to update so you guys wouldn't think I abandoned this story. I'll try to make the next one better! **

* * *

><p><em>Time stands still<em>  
><em>Beauty I know she is<em>  
><em>I will be brave<em>  
><em>I will not let anything <em>  
><em>Take away<em>  
><em>What's standing in front of me<em>  
><em>Every breath, <em>  
><em>Every hour has come to this<em>  
><em>One step closer<em>

* * *

><p>After putting out all of the candles, Jack took me out to dinner at a fancy restaurant. After ordering, we sat and discussed the events that had just occurred.<p>

"How did you accomplish all of that?" I asked. It was such a well thought out plan!

Just smirked, obviously pleased with himself, and began to confess.

"It took me forever to come up with it. I called my mom a week before and asked if she could take you shopping so you'd be away from the flat all day. I gave her a key so she'd be able to come get you early in the morning. Meanwhile, when she was getting you, I was hiding out in the guest room writing all the notes."

"You took a day off of work to do all of that?" I asked. I felt flattered.

Jack nodded. "Yep. Then I went out and got all the candles. I honestly didn't know that my mother was going to have you all dressed up though. That completely caught me off guard." Jack looked thoughtful for a moment and smirked again. "I rather liked it."

I giggled. Good old Molly. The waiter came by and poured us each a glass of wine. Jack raised his glass in the air and smiled that charming smile of his.

"To marriage?"

I smiled back at the man I loved and raised my glass as well.

"To marriage."

The rest of the week was spent spreading the news to everyone. I called Ronnie and listened to ten minutes of exicited squeals from her. After appointing her as my maid of honour for the wedding, I received even more squeals. I put down the phone, smiling to myself, and began dialing Ralph's number. I felt butterflies in my stomach as my fingers hit the all too familiar buttons on the phone. I wasn't too sure how Ralph was going to react to my news, but I figured the best way to tell him was to just be blunt. I took a deep breath as I waited for Ralph to pick up.

"Hello?"

I smiled. I really did miss him. "Hi Ralph," I said cooly.

"Angel! How are you?" Ralph asked warmly.

_Here it goes._ "I'm great actually. I just got engaged!"

I felt my stomach drop when I heard nothing but silence from the other end. After what seemed like centuries, Ralph finally spoke.

"Congratulations."

I knew Ralph was trying to sound sincere, but I could tell that he wasn't too happy with me. Being engaged to his worst enemy, however, I couldn't exactly blame him.

"Thank you," I choked out. It was all I could really say at a time like this. The silence became painfully awkward. "I'll let you know when the wedding is. I'd like to have you there."

"Alright," Ralph said dully. "I shall be there then."

The conversation ended there. It became too awkward for the both of us. I tried to forget the conversation and for the rest of the day, my mind focused on the wedding. We planned on having it in June, which gave me four months to plan. I could hardly wait.

That night, as Jack and I lay in bed, we conversed about our plans for the wedding.

"What exactly do you have in mind so far?" Jack asked with a smirk. He knew how ecstatic I was.

I bit my lip in deep thought. "I fancy a nice church wedding," I replied with a thoughtful smile.

Jack yawned and stretched his arms. "Sounds lovely." He gave me a quick good night kiss and clicked off the lamp, sending the room into complete darkness. Jack instantly fell asleep, but I, however, found myself unable to shut my eyes. I blankly stared up at the pitch black ceiling, my mind wandering into a million different places. _I was getting married._ It was a difficult idea to grasp. I still couldn't believe it was happening. Every girl dreamed of what her wedding would be like one day, and now it was about to happen to me. I could hardly wait! I closed my eyes and tried to drift off to sleep, ideas of the wedding repeatedly soaring through my head.

* * *

><p>The next few weeks ran together like a blur. It was spent planning and organizing the wedding. The set day was for the third of June, and it was then I realized I still needed to get my dress. Picking up the phone, I dialed Ronnie's number.<p>

"Hello?" I heard her high pitched voice ask.

"Hey, Ron," I said cheerily. "Are you doing anything today?"

"Angel!" she exclaimed, instantly recognizing my voice. "No I'm not. What'd you have in mind?"

"Wedding dress shopping!" I squeaked. "Come with me!"

"Okay! I'll be there in half an hour!"

Hanging up the phone, a smile slowly started to creep across my face. I couldn't help but chuckle to myself at how excited we were getting over this. Trying to contain my emotions, I decided I'd invited Molly and Catherine too. After all, they were about to be family to me.

A while later, Ronnie and I found ourselves standing outside a bridal shop. We both gazed up at the building silently. For the first time since the engagment, I started feeling a little nervous. I couldn't pinpoint what exactly was making me feel this way, but I knew my nerves were starting to catch up with me. I looked at Ronnie, butterflies in my stomach, and took a deep breath.

"Ready?" she asked.

Warily, I nodded my head and followed her in. We simultaneously gasped as we found ourselves surrounded by numerous, beautiful wedding dresses. They surrounded the store, existing in different sizes, styles, and designs.

"I'm so excited for you," I heard Ronnie gasp from my side, her eyes wandering in every direction. I was too stunned to speak. I began wandering from dress to dress, observing every single detail. I picked out a few to try on and headed to the fitting room. The first one I came out in was a long, straight, form fitting dress. I modeled it for Ronnie and eagarly awaited her opinion on it. She put her hand to her chin and narrowed her eyes.

"I think you should pick a more flamboyant one. It looks good, but it's almost too plain, I think."

I stood and studied myself in the mirror. She was right. It was definitely plain. As I was heading back to the fitting room, I heard the store door open. I turned and found that Molly and Catherine had arrived. I smiled at them and hurried to get changed into the next dress. I looked through the selections and found a poofy, ruffled sort of dress I felt Ronnie would appreicate. The top part of the dress had sequins, and the bottom part was ruffled. I instantly fell in love with it. I put it on and walked out to model it for my friends. All their faces burst into masks of joy when they saw the dress on me. I was ambushed with multiple words of, "How pretty!" and "That's the one!" I beamed at them and returned to the full length mirror to see what it looked like on me. My mouth dropped open when I saw my reflection. I no longer saw the girl I once was. I now saw a woman who was about to get married to the man she loved. My mouth slowly curled up into a happy smile as I took in the new, unfamiliar sight. It was then I instantly decided that this dress was the one.

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><p>I have the link of what Angel's wedding dress looks like on my profile. Go check it out! :)<p> 


	5. Wedding Jitters

**A/N: I know I know. It takes me a million years to update these days. Unfortunately, you should probably just start to expect it. Sorry :( I'll try my best to go as fast as I can!  
><strong>

* * *

><p><em>I'm tugging at my hair<em>  
><em>I'm pulling at my clothes<em>  
><em>I'm trying to keep my cool<em>  
><em>I know it shows<em>  
><em>I'm staring at my feet<em>  
><em>My cheeks are turning red<em>  
><em>I'm searching for the words inside my head<em>

* * *

><p>Our wedding day was inching closer and closer. It was already May, which only gave us one more month left. To my dismay, I was starting to get a small case of wedding jitters. They progressively became worse and worse the closer June 3rd approached. At this point, my mind was my worst enemy seeing as it uncontrollably betrayed me by focusing on every possible thing that could go wrong. <em>I could gain weight and not fit into my dress. Or even worse, I could get left at the alter. No, Jack wouldn't do that to me. But Jack is the one who killed your brother. He's changed though. He's not the same man.<em> The optimistic and pessimistic thoughts seemed to battle each other inside my head and before I knew it, I was becoming a nervous wreck. Not because I didn't want to marry Jack, but because of the fear that of his old, savage ways could come back. Jack reconnecting with Roger did not help any and I feared he'd rediscover his bloodlust. Still, I tried to ignore my thoughts for the time being and decided to occupy myself with something.

Two hours of tv later, I found myself still stressing over our wedding. I thought television could rot my mind and distract me, but even that couldn't work. I layed back onto the couch and sprawled out, blankly staring at the ceiling. Suddenly, I hear the front door open. Startled, I shot up and found Jack coming in. I jumped up from my spot and wrapped him in my arms as tight as I possibly could. Slightly surprised, he awkwardly hugged back.

"What was that for?" He asked. A confused expression made its way across his pale face. Jack tightened his grip on me and fully hugged back.

My face was buried in his chest. I trembled slightly and decided to confess my anxiety to him. Taking I deep breath, I started.

"The reality of all this is starting to sink in," I started. I paused for a moment to collect all my thoughts then proceeded. "I guess I'm just nerous about all of this. It's a big step for the both of us." I bit my lip and watched his reaction. His blue eyes bore into my hazel ones and he sighed.

"I know how you're feeling, Angel," he said as gently as he could. "I'm nervous too, but we'll both be fine. I promise."

And with that, he kissed my forehead and headed into the kitchen to pour himself a glass of water. I stood in the middle of the living room and pondered over the words he said to placate me. At least I wasn't the only one who was nervous about all of this. I glanced into the kitchen and saw Jack sitting at the table reading the paper. I then realized it would be a proper time to start dinner. Making my way into the kitchen, I grabbed the first sufficent box of food I saw and prepared it for dinner.

Later that night I found myself unable to sleep. True this was normal for me, but stressing over a wedding wasn't something I knew how to properly deal with. I absently twirled a brown lock around my finger as I lay awake with my thoughts. I honestly don't know how long I stayed up for, but when I fell asleep, the anxiety hit me like a ton of bricks.

_It was our wedding day and I was about to walk down the aisel. I walked slowly, gazing at all of the attending guests out of the corner of my eye. Simon was there, as well as my father. I felt a small, cold tear run down my face, for I had not seen them in ages. My mother sat beaming at me, my father's arm slung across her. My broken family looked happy as they watched me make my way to the alter. I couldn't help but stare at them and the joyfulness that surrounded them. Not paying attention to anything else but them, I stepped on the end of my dress and began to fall forward. It was like it was time slowed down as I began to crash to the ground, my stomach lurching forward. I arruptly threw my hands out to catch me and landed on my knees. Mortified, I frantically searched for Jack to help me up. Instead of finding my husband-to-be in a tuxedo, I found him in a loincloth with a savagely painted face. He was surrounded by his familiar painted pack of followers. All armed with pointed spears, they approached where I was sitting from my fall. Unable to get up, I froze in horror, watching them slowly approach me with their sticks raised. The last thing I saw was Jack's fierce eyes and how much they had changed. Instead of seeing the normal, kinder eyes I was used to, I saw the wild, crazed, savageness that lay deep inside his soul. He maniacally laughed along with all the other savages and brought the stick down hard._

I shot up in bed in a cold sweat. I found myself completely out of breath and vigorously trembling. I frantically rubbed the tiredness from my eyes and stared into the darkness of the room, trying my best to interpret my nightmare. My mind, again, acted as my worst enemy. _You're marrying a savage!_ my mind seemed to hiss at me. I felt my eye slightly twitch.

"Have I gone mad?" I asked aloud to myself. I was beginning to think I was. Biting my lip, I shook Jack awake. He grumbled a few vague words and rolled over, still sound asleep. "Jack!" I whispered rather loudly. "Wake up!"

"Wha-?" he asked slowly laying up. "What d-do you want, Angel?" he studdered harshly. I immediately felt horrible for waking him up from his peaceful slumber, but I really needed to prove to myself that he truly wasn't savage anymore.

"I'm sorry for waking you, darling," I started off quietly. "But I had a bad dream. I just wanted comfort." I absently brought my thumb to my mouth and nervous chewed at the nail. Jack brought my thumb down and kissed me softly.

"Nothing to be afraid of, Angel. It was just a dream. Now tell me what happened," he said soothingly. He looked into my eyes with compassion and patiently awaited my response.

I should have known he would ask what my dream was about. I sat silently and pondered over what I should tell him. I ran my small hand though my curls and sighed, not knowing what to do. I decided it would be best to tell him. There was no sense in hiding anything anymore. I took in a deep breath and prepared myself for the worst.

"I dreamt you turned savage at our wedding," I said as cooly as I could. I didn't want him to think of me as a nervous wreck, even though I already was. "And Simon was there alive."

At the mention of Simon's name, Jack winced, a pained expression crossing his face. I could tell bad memories were started to flood his brain as he began to rethink the happenings that occured at that damn island. He sat speechless for a long time. Neither of us dared say a word to break the intense silence. We solemnly sat in the darkness of our room, alone with our horrible thoughts and memories. And then something happened that I never thought I'd live to see; Jack Merridew began to quietly cry. A few tears slowly slid down his cheek and his breathing slightly increased. He was slient and reserved about it. I could barely tell he was showing any emotion at all, for he tried to hide it. My arms automatically shot out towards him to comfort him. We sat in each others arms for what seemed like years protecting one another from the memories of our tainted past. We grasped onto each other for dear life, small tears running down our faces. We eventually fell asleep cuddled together and I felt safe. I knew my mind was a corrupted place and I no longer felt suffocated by its pessimism. I knew Jack was no longer a savage. He was a changed man and I had witnessed that first hand tonight.

When I awoke the next morning, I found I couldn't stop smiling. I knew I no longer had anything to fear anymore. Jack Merridew was, in fact, no longer a blood thirsty savage, but a reformed, nice man. Throwing off my covers, I waltzed out of bed and approached the window. Lifting the blinds and opening it, I stared out into the sunlit world with hopeful eyes. A slow smirk crept across my face as I basked in the warmth of the sun.

"Bring it on, world," I uttered to myself, prepared for what was to come next.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Don't worry. The next few chapters will be happy and not angst-filled. I promise:)**


	6. Wedding Bells

_Looks like we made it  
>Look how far we've come, my baby<br>We mighta took the long way  
>We knew we'd get there someday<br>They said "I bet they'll never make it"_  
><em>But just look at us holding on<br>We're still together, still going strong (You're still the one)_  
><em>You're still the one I run to<br>The one that I belong to  
>You're still the one I want for life<em>

* * *

><p>Today was the day. Words could not describe the nervousness I was feeling within the pits of my stomach as I sat at the vanity waiting. Behind me was Molly with a curling iron, and in front of me was Ronnie delicately tracing my eyes with eyeliner. As my best friend and soon to be mother-in-law worked on my apperance, my mind couldn't help but wander off. This was going to be the happiest day of my life, yet I was feeling more tense than joy. I squirmed and fidgeted in my seat praying that Molly was almost done with my hair. I was becoming so anxious that I couldn't bear to sit still any longer.<p>

"Angel, sit still," Molly gently scolded. "You don't want to make me mess up anything, do you?" She raised her eyebrows at me waiting for an answer.

"No, ma'am," I said, half aware of what was going on. I was too distracted by my overwelming thoughts. But evidently, my answer had sufficed, as Molly stopped nagging and took a chunk of my hair in her hand, twisting the curling iron around it. When my entire head was curly, she took a step back to admire her work.

"Oh, Angel, darling you look beautiful!" A small tear rolled down her cheek and she took my hand and helped me up. She led me to a full length mirror and I gasped at what I saw._ I didn't even look like myself!_ Molly and Ronnie had done a fantastic job with me because I had actually looked beautiful! I carefully hugged everyone, making sure not to smudge or mess up my hair and makeup, and thanked them repeadedly. Ronnie put both of her hands on my shoulders and looked into my eyes.

"Are you ready for this?" She asked with a serious tone. I looked at my best friend, but remained silent. _Of course I was ready for this. Jack had my heart from the moment I first layed eyes on him. I remember sitting on that airplane staring at him and wondering what he was like. I remember our first kiss that had happened on the island. I remember falling in love with him all over again during our last year of high school. I remember all of our best and worst times, how I managed to love him regardless of the terrible past he's had, and how I was about to agree to spend the rest of my life with him._

"I'm more than ready," I finally declared to Ronnie. She smiled and hugged me one more time before it was time to go. The wedding was about to begin and I couldn't help but feel overwhelmingly nervous. It had felt as if I shallowed a pebble and it had grown into a boulder in my stomach.

I watched as my bridesmaids began to walk down the aisel. I began furiously chewing at my lip, as I realized it was getting closer and closer to my turn to walk. Catherine made her way down the aisel, then Ronnie, and I realized I was next. I heard the music begin to change to the Bridal Chorus and I knew it was my turn to go. I shakily put one high heeled foot in front of the other and slowly made my way down the aisel. As I walked, my eyes scanned the crowd. I saw Ralph was there, along with Roger, Maurice, Robert, and everyone else from the island._ There was only one person missing though: My brother. I wish he could have been here for this._ I then turned my gaze completely straight ahead and felt my breath catch in my throat. Jack was smiling a loving smile at me as I inched closer and closer to him. He looked breathtakingly handsome in a black tuxedo and I couldn't believe this was really happening. I finally approached him and stood across from him, dreamily gazing into his eyes. Nothing in the world seemed to exist right then and there except for him. Judging by the look in his eyes, I could tell he was feeling the exact same way. The minister began with the ceremony and by the time he got to the vows, I was more than ready to be Mrs. Merridew.

"Jack, do you take Evangeline to be your wedded wife, to live together after God's ordinance in holy matrimony? Do you promise to love her, to honor and cherish her, in joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in health, and to be to her in all things a good and faithful husband as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," Jack said solemnly. He looked into my eyes and smiled.

The minister turned towards me.

"Evangeline, do you take Jack to be your wedded husband, to live together after God's ordinance in holy matrimony? Do you promise to love him, to honor and cherish him, in joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in health, and to be to him in all things a good and faithful wife as long as you both shall live?"

Right then and there, all of Jack and I's happiest memories flooded my brain. I looked deeply into his eyes and saw nothing but true love in them.

"I do."

"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Jack and I turned towards each other, still smiling like crazy. He tenderly lifted back my veil and leaned in to kiss me. Everyone in the church began clapping and cheering happily, but I heard nothing at all. I was too focused on the man I now called my husband. His kiss sent electric shocks up and down my spine and I never wanted this kiss to end. When it did end, however, we grabbed hands and faced the crowd.

"It's my honour to be the first to present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Merridew!" The minister cried with a grin.

The crowd cheered joyful as Jack and I walked hand in hand down the aisel. After taking what seemed like a million pictures, we walked outside to be greeted with all our friends and family throwing rice in the air at us. Both laughing, Jack and I waved at everyone and gingerly brushed the rice off our clothes before climbing into the limo that was waiting for us. We were both ready to experience the fun part of it all: The reception.


	7. Reception and Honeymoon

_Lucky we're in love in every way  
>Lucky to have stayed where we have stayed<br>Lucky to be coming home someday  
><em>_And so I'm sailing through the sea  
><em>_To an island where we'll meet  
><em>_You'll hear the music fill the air  
><em>_I'll put a flower in your hair_

* * *

><p>Jack took my hand and helped me into the sleek, black limousine so we could head off to our wedding reception. I gathered my dress in my hands and took a seat in the spacious back. Jack took his spot next to me and put his arm around me.<p>

"What do you think so far, Mrs. Merridew?" he asked with a smile.

I couldn't help but smile at the sound of my new name. "I think that today has been the best day of my life," I said joyfully. I placed a quick kiss on his cheek and watched his face turn pink. I giggled to myself and turned my head to face out the window. I couldn't wait to arrive at my wedding reception. It would be so nice to sit down with my friends and family and have a huge, elegant dinner together. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop smiling. Today had been absolutely perfect and it still wasn't over yet. Jack and I still had to leave for our honeymoon. I suddenly felt my face completely flush red. _Honeymoon._ I don't know why that intimidated me, but for some reason or another, it did. Maybe it was because Jack hadn't told me where we were going for it. Curiosity swept over me as I sat there pondering over where we could be going. _Paris? Nah, too expensive. Rio? No, too far away._ After going though a thousand and one different places in my head, it suddenly dawned on me that the limo had stopped moving. I looked up and Jack was staring at me strangely.

"Deep in thought?" he asked with a perplexed look on his face.

I blankly nodded and he stepped out of the limo.

"About what?" he asked while offering his hand to me.

I shook my head and took his hand, following Jack out of the vehicle. "It's nothing important," I lied. I didn't feel like killing the mood by explaining that not knowing where we were going for our honeymoon was bothering me. Hand-in-hand, we walked towards the building in which our reception was being held and entered through the elegant front doors. I quietly gasped at what the inside looked like. There were round, white table-clothed tables scattered about, each with a lit candle, folded napkins, and vase of flowers on top. At the front was a long, white table for the wedding party to sit at and next to it was another table with a tall wedding cake on it. The reception hall itself was lit by a huge, silver chandelier that hung lavishly over the middle of the room. The hall was such a beautiful sight. I wasn't used to such lavish things, so it was something new and exciting to me. Jack and I greeted our guests and made our way to the long, wedding party table. I took a seat in between Ronnie and Jack and immediately started talking to Ronnie excitedly.

"So where are you two going for your honeymoon?" she asked bubbly.

I visibly cringed._ I should have known she would ask._ Biting my lip, I shook my head. "I haven't the slightest idea."

Ronnie raised her eyebrow. "He wouldn't tell you?" she asked with a hint of confusion. Her head cocked to the side. "I wonder why."

I shrugged my shoulders and fixed my gaze straight ahead. "Said it was a surprise," I said dryly. I wasn't one for surprises.

Distracting myself from the frustration, I scanned the crowd for familiar faces and stopped at the exact person I was looking for. _Ralph._ He was sitting at one of the tables closer to where I was, uneasily eyeing Roger from across the room. I knew Ralph felt the exact same way I did about Roger being back in contact with us: Worried and terribly uncomfortable. Of course that's the normal way to feel around someone who tried to kill you and shove your head on a stick. _But Jack was the same way_ my subconscience said. I felt myself shiver as chills made their way up and down my spine. Dismissing that though from my mind, I fixed my gaze back to the crowd and made eye contact with Ralph. He smiled a friendly smile, but it was still evident something was bothering him. Before I could get up and make my way towards him, I was interrupted by the sound of a clinking glass. Molly was standing to Jack's right holding a knife and a wine glass. She tapped the knife to the wine glass again to get everyone's attention. Once they fell silent, she began to speak.

"From the time I first met Angel, I could tell she was the one for my Jack. You could tell by the way they looked and acted around each other. I always knew my Jack would one day bring home a nice girl and sure enough, he did. And now that nice girl is my daughter-in-law and I can't express how happy I am for these two. They've been together for quite some time and have been through a lot. I know that since they've made it this far, they'll be together forever. I'm elated that my little boy has finally found his soulmate. I wish you two nothing but the best of luck. Welcome to the family, Evangeline Merridew."

When she finished, the crowd began clapping enthusiastically. Some were smiling, and some were misty eyed. I, myself, was trying everything I could to keep from crying tears of joy. This really was the happiest day of my life. It was then I noticed Jack was standing up. Following his mother's actions, he, as well, began to speak.

"First off, I'd like to thank you all for coming," Jack started. "I'd also like to thank my mother for putting all of this together. It means a lot to us. And most of all, I'd like to thank my beautiful wife, Angel. She has gotten me through a lot and I don't know where I'd be without her. Getting lost on the island was the greatest thing to ever happen to me and I'm so glad it gave me the chance to meet the love of my life. I know it didn't seem that way at first, but it all worked out for the best. I love you, Evangeline Marie Merridew. I'm ecstatic that I now get to call you my wife."

And with that, he sat back down and smiled at me. All my futile attempts to hold back tears completely stopped. Tears of joy flowed freely down my face as I threw my arms around Jack holding him tightly. Caught off guard, he returned my affection and kissed my cheek. Arising from his spot, my gave me his hand and led me to the cake table. Realizing it was time to cut the cake, guests began to follow us and crowd around. Picking up a sharp knife, I noticed a savage gleam in Jack's eyes as he sliced pieces of the cake. I felt a slight uneasiness in my stomach but dismissed it as nothing. Distracting myself, I started handing out plates of cake to the guests and making small talk with them.

The rest of the night went well and after the reception ended, I changed into a causal white dress. Leaving my wedding dress with Molly, Jack led me outside back to the limousine where everything for our trip was already packed.

"Ready for the honeymoon?" he asked with a wink and smirk. He opened the car door for me and helped me inside.

I felt my stomach drop. "Yes," I said rather quietly. I hopped into the back and waited for him to join me. Instead, he turned and walked to the other side of the limo. After whispering something to the driver, he climbed back and slung his arm around me without saying a word.

"What did you tell him?" I asked. The curiosity was slowly driving me to insanity.

Jack simply laughed, a knowing smile glued to his face. "You'll see once we get there."

I rolled my eyes and propped my elbow up against the limo window, resting my head on my hand. I felt the vehicle start to move and before I knew it, I found ourselves at a dock. Getting out of the limo and grabbing my suitcases, I was greeted by a decent sized ship. I turned to Jack with my eyebrows raised.

"We're going on a cruise during the night?" I guessed.

Jack smiled and shook his head. "Not exactly," he said. He led me to the ship and whispered something to the captain. He nodded at Jack, and began to guide us to our room. As we were walking through the ship, I couldn't help but get a funny feeling that something was out of the ordinary. The ship seemed too quiet to me.

"Jack?" I asked suddenly.

"Hmm?" he answered.

I looked around a couple times confirming what I was about to ask. "Is there anyone else on this boat?"

"Nope!" he exclaimed. "It's just us!" A huge smile burst onto his face. "Pretty neat, huh?'"

I was baffled. We had an entire ship to ourselves. Granted it was no Titanic, but it was still a pretty decent size!

"Why is there no one else here?" I asked. I was still a little confused.

As we reached our rooms, Jack was given the key by the captain. Jamming the key into the lock, he swung the door open and led the way inside. "There's just no one here. You'll see why later. But for now, you need to get some sleep."

As if on cue, I yawned. He was right. It had been a long, eventful day and I was ready to go to bed. I threw open my suitcase and dug around for a nightgown. Throwing it on, I climbed into bed with Jack. He kissed me a few times and an hour later, we finally decided to go to sleep.

The next morning I awoke in the arms of my love. He was already awake and staring at me lovingly.

"Good morning, beautiful," he said charmingly. "Ready to see where we are?"

That had woken me up completely. _Of course I wanted to know where the hell we were!_ Jumping out of bed and throwing on a tank top and short, I ran outside onto the deck to see where we had arrived. When I took in the sight of our destination, I froze completely. My mouth went dry, my eyes widened, and my stomach dropped. I couldn't believe what I was staring at. I thought I'd never have to look at this ever again for as long as I lived. I felt Jack come up to the side of me and take my hand.

"What do you think?" he asked with a small grin on his face. He gazed around in fond rememberance then looked back at me. I was speechless. I didn't know what to say, nor could I even find the nerve to speak. I couldn't even believe where Jack and I were right now. We were back on an island.

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><p><strong>AN: Hello, readers! I have a favour to ask you. Pleeeaassee go to my page and vote on my new poll! I want to know what you readers think my next move should be! Also if anyone could draw a fan art or something for me, that would be greatly appreciated! I've always wanted to draw something for one of these stories, but unfortunately the only thing I can draw is stick people :( Anyways, thanks for reading and please review! :D**


	8. Return to the Island

_I kept everything inside and even though I tried, it all fell apart  
>What it meant to me will eventually be a memory of a time when I tried so hard<br>And got so far  
>But in the end<br>It doesn't even matter  
><em>_I had to fall  
><em>_To lose it all  
><em>_But in the end  
><em>_It doesn't even matter_

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><p>Jack stepped off the ship and onto the beach. I, however, couldn't bring myself to move a single muscle. I stood quietly looking on with terrified eyes and taking in the familiar and awful sights of my past. Painful memories crowded my mind as I played them over and over in my head, repeating the events from what happened those years ago. Finally, and quite reluctantly, I joined Jack on the beach and cautiously eyed him. I had lived through this once and I certainly didn't want to repeat any of this.<p>

"Well what do you think?" Jack asked with a smile. Well at least one of us was happy to be back. I however, wasn't sure how to feel about any of this. I couldn't believe that Jack would take me to an island, where so many painful memories had occurred, for our honeymoon.

"It's... well..." I was at a loss for words. I couldn't describe how I was feeling to Jack, nor did I want to ruin the mood of the honeymoon. "I guess it's good to be back," I lied through my teeth. I lifted my thumb to my mouth and began chewing on it. It was a habbit I had picked up from the island.

Jack, on the other hand, didn't seem to notice my uncomfortableness. He meerly looked around taking in all the sights.

"I wonder if there's any pigs on this island," he breathed. He began walking towards the jungle of the islands, leaving me alone of the beach. Not bothering to even follow him, I plopped myself down in the sand and stared blankly off into the ocean. At least the ship was going to stay so we wouldn't have to hunt for food and bathe in ponds. That I was grateful for. Still, being back on an island bothered me to no extent. _What was Jack thinking?_ I then felt my stomach drop. _Maybe his savage ways never disappeared. Maybe being back on this island will unleash them. Maybe, just maybe, something bad will happen._ I shook my bad thoughts away. _What are you talking about?_ A voice said in the back of my mind. _Jack is your husband. He's past all that and he's changed for good. You have nothing to worry about._ My breathing increased as the voices in my head fought back and forth. Deciding I'd had enough, I rose up from my spot and wandered into the jungle after my huband.

"Jack?" I called. "Jack, where'd you go?" I carefully inched through the jungle, trying my best not to trip over the creepers, and searched for my missing husband. I stopped dead in my tracks when I heard a faint rustling noise from behind me. Turning around, I scanned the area looking for signs of life. Not seeing anything, I continued forward at a slightly faster rate. As I inched further and further into the jungle, I began hearing the rustling noise again. This time, however, it was coming from up above in the trees. Before I had time to look up, something jumped out of a tree and landed in front of me. Screaming, I fell to the floor and covered my face, not prepared to face whatever was about to attack me. As soon as I heard the laughter, I recognized the predator as Jack. A huge grin was plastered over his face as he offered me his hand to help me off the floor. Declining it, I got up by myself and dusted my dress off.

"Gotcha," Jack smirked. I could tell he got a childish joy out of scaring me.

I, however, wasn't too thrilled.

"What is wrong with you?" I yelled. "Do you not think I'm tramatized enough? Do you really think I want to go through all of this again? Because being here is making me edgy and uncomfortable. I don't know what you were thinking bringing me back to a place like this!"

Jack's smile immediately faded. Catching my ragged breath, I glared at him, clearly frustrated. I had finally lost my cool and it blatantly caught Jack off guard. He took a step towards me and rested both his hands on my shoudlers.

"I wanted to bring you back here so you could finally have a fond memory of an island. I didn't think it would freak you out this badly. I just wanted to put your fear of the island to rest by having a good, memorable time with you here. That's all."

I quietly stared at him. His logic made sense, but he had no idea how messed up in the head I had become because of this God forsaken island. I had to live with the memory of watching Piggy die, hearing about my brother's death, watching Ralph get beatened, and getting beat myself. After all of this, it was a miracle that there was still some shred of sanity left in me. And I was left to wonder how I had survived all of this. Then it came to me._ Ralph._ If it wasn't for him, I surely would have died. I felt a pang of guilt wash over me. I owed him so much and I never repaid him for all he had done for me. I only made things worse for him. I must have been lost in my thoughts for quite some time because Jack was looking at me with a perplexed look on his face.

"Angel, are you mad I brought you here?" Jack asked with disappointment in his voice. I knew he was only trying to help, but being here would only bring back the past I sure as hell didn't want to relive. Sighing, I looked up at him.

"I'm not mad, Jack. "It's just-" I paused for a brief second to ponder what to say. "It's hard for me to be back here after all that had happened. It brings back the darkest times in my life."

Jack nodded, clearly upset with himself, and took me into his arms. I rested my head on his chest and buried my face into his shirt. "I understand," he said. "But can you do something for me?"

Lifting my head up from his chest, I met his eyes. Looking into them for a moment, I answered him. "Depends on what it is." I bit my lip, suddenly nervous for what he was going to say next.

"Can you please try to make the best of this?" Jack asked with a hint of desperation. He looked into my eyes, silently pleading I'd say yes.

I took a deep breath and sighed. I could tell he really believed it would help. Groaning, I decided to give in to him and agree, causing a happy reaction from Jack. He threw his arms around me and hugged me tightly.

"You won't regret this, Angel!" he exclaimed. "I promise!"

Hugging him back, my mind couldn't help but wonder. I silently hoped I wasn't making a huge mistake. My stomach was uneasy as I worried about what could go wrong. I tried convincing myself that Jack had changed completely and there was no more savage left in him, but I knew, deep down, that it wasn't true. I knew, even though he seemed normal now, that there was still a hint of savagery that lay hidden deep within him. It didn't matter to me though. I knew I loved him and that he wouldn't ever hurt me again. Still, I couldn't help but stress whether or not that being back on an island would unleash that inner animal in him. Because if it did, I wouldn't have Ralph to save me this time.


	9. Deja Vu

**A/N: Hey! I'm so sorry it's taken me this long. I've had severe writer's block and I feel like no one is even reading this story :( Well except for SideshowJazz1 and Hammsters! I truly love you two! Thanks for always reviewing and letting me know what you think :) I appreciate it! As for the rest of you... If you're reading, PLEASE REVIEW! Reviews are what motivate me and they make me happy :) Oh and heads up.. I'm not really sure whether to consider this chapter rated M or not because it's not really graphic or anything, but uh.. yeah.. If you don't like that kind of stuff, then skip over the second long paragraph ;)  
><strong>

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><p><em>Now I'm walking to the sun <em>_and the softly whispered sound of the water  
><em>_A gentle breeze sings a song to my heart  
><em>_It's good to know my paradise was never really lost  
><em>_And I'm glad you understand  
><em>_I just had to go back to the island_

For the rest of our wedding night, we sat out on the beach and gazed at the moon. I tried to be cheery, but deep down, I was in a slight panic. Sitting by the water with Jack was all too familiar to me. I convinced myself that this time it would end differently. I looked over at my new husband and studied him. The light from the moon shone on his pale skin, giving him an angelic appearance. I shook my head, realizing the irony, and began chewing on my lip. Jack, noticing me staring out of the corner of his eye, met my gaze.

"How are holding up?" he asked, his silky voice just above a whisper.

I simply shrugged, without saying a word. I still couldn't bring myself to hardly speak. I didn't know the exact reason why. Maybe it was because I was still in shock, or maybe it was just being back. Or worse... maybe it was because I was subconsciously terrified that Jack would snap and resort back to his old self. Nevertheless, I mutely stared back at him, longing for proof that he still wasn't savage. In return, I got a seductive gaze and a shift kiss on the neck. Taken aback, I gasped as his lips made contact with the sensitive spot on my neck. I had almost forgotten that it was still our wedding night. And that meant... I felt myself blush a deep red as I realized what Jack had in mind. This was nothing new, but for some reason or another, I felt myself becoming increasingly nervous as he worked on my neck. A soft, quiet moan escaped my lips, causing me to blush again. This only encouraged Jack even more. He moved from my neck up to my lips and engulfed me in a passionate kiss. Cradling the back of my head, he leaned us back against the sand and resumed kissing me. I felt the twists in my stomach turn to butterflies as I began to feel his wandering hands. _Don't be a coward. Don't be a coward. _I shivered as I felt Jack lifting my dress up. With shaky hands, I pulled his shirt over his head and let it fall against the sand. My small, unstable hands ran up and down his chest and made their way to his belt. A little while later, Jack positioned himself over me and gazed at me with those icy blue eyes. I stared back up at him nervously, although I was ready for what was about to happen. He gave me a quick kiss before he started and I embraced myself for a long night.

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><p>The sun's bright and scorching rays woke me from my sleep the next morning. I lifted myself up from the ground and cringed suddenly. A sharp pain shot through my body as I stood up. <em>Why was i in pain? <em>Slipping my dress back on, I realized Jack was no where to be found. I felt a dull throbbing lower down and realized that it was from last night. I remembered Jack being a lot rougher than usual, but I remembered it good, not bad. Ignoring the throbbing, I began walking towards the jungle looking for Jack.

Carefully stepping over the creepers, I slowly inched my way deeper and deeper through the jungle. There was no sign of my husband anywhere. Deja vu overwhelmed me as I took in the familiar sights of the jungle. This island was eerily similar to the one we had been stranded on those years ago. Although the one we had been stuck on had burned, I was still halfway expecting to find Castle Rock or the shelters we had previously built. I was suddenly pulled out of my thoughts when I heard a faint rustling sound in a large bush nearby. Rolling my eyes, I strode through it.

"Real mature, Jack," I muttered bitterly under my breath as I approached the bush. I quickly pulled back the leaves and a large, black sow hurried out, squealing loudly. I screamed and fell backwards onto the hard ground, startled beyond belief. The sow, obviously startled as well, took off past me. It only made it a few yards before a spear fell out of the sky and pierced through the pig's head. Blood immediately spilled out onto the ground as the sow dropped and twitched spasmodically. My mouth instantly fell open, but no sound came out. Instead, I let out a choked cry as my gaze shot up to see where the spear came from. My stomach dropped as I saw Jack standing high up in a tree, gloating over his triumphant kill.


End file.
